Chapter 1573: Speech

Dike narrowed his eyes and laughed, "Jiang Xuan, a deal is a deal. It is written clearly in black and white; you wouldn't want to welsh on the debt, would you?"

Dike took out the contract previously signed with Jiang Xuan and slapped it on the table.

Jiang Xuan did not even look at it; he raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "How many mining areas has your Britain prepared?"

"Two," Dike said disdainfully.

Jiang Xuan stared at Dike's face and said earnestly, "Two mining areas to trade for two cities? Dike, it is daytime now; it is not yet time for dreaming."

"You!" Dike's expression turned cold instantly.

Jiang Xuan glanced at him with disdain and said indifferently, "Four mining areas: one nitrate mine, one coal mine, and two iron mines. Otherwise, there is nothing to talk about!"

Dike let out a cold snort, staring at Jiang Xuan.

Nitrate mines are the raw material for making gunpowder; in Egypt, nitrate mines can be called incomparably precious. They can not only be used to make gunpowder but also to make ice.

In Egypt, the value of a nitrate mine is even higher than gold.

Coal mines are even more so. With the appearance of the Steam Engine, coal—a thing everyone once feared—has now seen its price soar to a terrifying level.

Moreover, for Britain, coal mines and nitrate mines are both extremely important strategic resources.

It is almost impossible to hand them over to Jiang Xuan.

"Jiang Xuan, I came to talk to you to give you face. Do not forget who is calling the shots in Egypt right now," Dike said in a deep voice.

Currently, the force with the greatest power in Egypt is Britain.

The power of France, after experiencing these few defeats, plus the loss of its most important Colonial Area.

The person in charge of France in Egypt, Sashaer, is also nowhere to be found.

In the current Egypt, Britain has the greatest power, followed by Longyan and Nashadier.

However, Longyan and Nashadier control the most important ports and cities in Egypt.

The Suez Canal and Cairo, these two major regions, are both in the hands of Longyan. More crucially, Longyan also controls all of Egypt's port cities on the Mediterranean Sea.

This greatly affects Britain's operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Dike does not dare to fall out with Jiang Xuan, but faced with the demands Jiang Xuan raised, he also does not want to refuse.

"Are you threatening me?" Jiang Xuan looked at Dike calmly.

"I hope you adjust your attitude and think about who you are talking to, and which country you are talking to," Jiang Xuan said indifferently.

Dike's face turned cold, his fists clenched until they turned white, and a nameless fire surged in his heart, but he did not erupt.

He did not dare to erupt; Jiang Xuan is Longyan.

Nashadier was watching Dike's deflated appearance from the side and could not help but let out a laugh.

Hearing the laughter, he saw it was Nashadier, and thinking of the events that had previously occurred in Egypt, his anger grew even more intense, and he let out a cold snort.

He did not dare to say anything more.

He cannot afford to offend Jiang Xuan. Behind Jiang Xuan is Longyan, that mysterious country of the East, the city that first started the Industrial Revolution, always walking at the very forefront of the world.

Especially now, because of Prussia, they have formed an alliance.

According to the latest news from Britain, they have already purchased the latest Giant Steam Engine from Longyan, and the Dreadnought-class Battleship has already entered research. If they were to fall out with Longyan at this time.

The Dreadnought-class Battleship, a matter personally decided by George III, would have to be halted.

After all, the import of the Giant Steam Engine originally relied on the agreement he signed with Jiang Xuan, which led to this transaction.

"Three iron mines; this is our final bottom line," Dike made a concession.

Jiang Xuan chuckled, "Show them out."

Dike's expression froze; he let out a cold snort and stood up to leave directly.

"Dike, it won't be long before you accept my suggestion."

Dike's footsteps paused slightly, and he said coldly, "I don't think so, but you will face more attacks from France."

Jiang Xuan watched Dike leave, his face

always maintaining a smile.

Now the initiative is in Jiang Xuan's hands; as for the attacks from France, he does not fear them.

If it were not for the fact that Longyan's sphere of influence is mainly concentrated in the Cairo Delta and the Suez Canal, these two port cities, which are too far away, Jiang Xuan would not want to lose these two cities either.

After all, expanding extra shipping routes is also a good thing for them.

But now, using these port cities to exchange for more mining areas and resources, accelerating Longyan's development in Egypt, and providing strong supply guarantees for Longyan's attack on Europe is what is more important.

At this time, Europe.

Prague.

Liu Zheng and Teresa were using speeches to win over more refugees and strengthen their own power.

Although this Holy Cross Army is meant to attack Prussia, Teresa, having witnessed the tragic state of Hell, has already dismissed this idea.

But this war is no longer something she, the current Grand Duke Theresa, can stop.

The only thing she needs to do, and wants to do now, is to save the refugees of Prague from the abyss of suffering.

But ironically, as a devout follower of Catholicism, what she is doing now is actually overthrowing the current Catholicism.

Even more ironically, Catholicism, as the representative of the Lord on earth, has actually betrayed the Lord and become the source of Prague's disaster.

It is as if everything is going in the opposite direction.

Teresa took a deep breath; she and Liu Zheng came to the slum where the refugees gathered.

She looked at the refugees on the street who had long since become numb and took a deep breath. Although she is the Grand Duke of Austria and has held many speeches.

However, previous speeches were all gathered in various banquet halls, and the scene was much more luxurious than it is now.

Those sitting in the audience were also people who were either rich or noble.

It is laughable to say that, once as the Grand Duke of Austria, Teresa used the eyes of a Noble to see this country; it should all be like Vienna, full of the atmosphere of art.

But now it seemed she was wrong.

Giving a speech to refugees for the first time, Teresa was still somewhat timid.

She could not help but cast her gaze toward Liu Zheng, who was standing in the corner, and Liu Zheng returned her gaze with an encouraging smile.

Teresa nodded to herself to build up her courage, looked at those refugees, and said loudly: "The number of people in Austria who are suffering is increasing, and we are all believers of Catholicism..."

The refugees paused slightly upon hearing Teresa's voice, but the long-term numbness and the pain of hunger remained.

They no longer had any capacity to listen to what these people were saying.

Liu Zheng said among the crowd: "She says she is going to build a porridge shed here!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd seemed to be under a spell, and they all turned their heads in unison to look at Teresa.

Teresa heard Liu Zheng's voice, understood a little, and instantly adjusted the content of her speech.

"Yes, we will build a porridge shed here, but one porridge shed cannot change your current situation; we need to curb the disaster, think about the people who caused you to end up like this."

A glimmer of spirit appeared in the eyes of the refugees, and some began to fall into thought.

They had originally been quite well-off, and even though Austria was currently in a state of war, taxes were still considered normal and had not increased by much.

Ever since the Holy Cross Army, which represented justice, arrived here, everything seemed to have changed.